A Wimbledon,
Before winning at Church Road, the Czech Market Vondrudova could not imagine for a moment unblocking her counter in London. The 2019 Roland-Garros finalist nevertheless defied the odds to clinch her first Grand Slam title at the age of 24. She overcame Ons Jabeur this Saturday, in the final (6-4 6-4).
A daydream. “Coming back (after his wrist operation in 2022, editor’s note), I didn’t know what was going to happen, if I would be able to play at a high level again. So yes, what happened seemed impossible to me. Especially since I had never played well on grass before. Wimbledon was the most untouchable of Grand Slams, so I didn’t even think about winning it. And it happened, it’s crazy,” she enthused at a press conference.
If Ons Jabeur failed to tame her nervousness for her third final loss in a Major, the Czech has progressed from her first loss in 2019 at Roland-Garros: “At the time, I was 19 years old. I remember I was so nervous… I wanted to do well, it was so important in the Czech Republic, everyone was talking about it. It had been expedited and I had not even had fun (defeat 6-3, 6-1). I told myself that if I had to play a final again, I had to take advantage of every moment.
And if she managed them better than her opponent, her nerves almost played bad tricks on her when she concluded: “At 40/0 (in the last game on her serve, editor’s note), I couldn’t breathe, she acknowledged. I was crushed under a weight. I managed to keep my thoughts clear. In general, I remained very calm in my head. I had been a little more nervous in the semis. And everyone was surprised at my calm in the final. My coach told me after the game that he couldn’t believe how calm I was. I just felt good the whole tournament.” Very well actually.